Google Ads match types: broad, phrase and exact match explained

The short answer

Google Ads has three keyword match types. Broad match can show your ad on searches related to the keyword, phrase match on searches that include its meaning, and exact match on searches with the same meaning or intent. Negative keywords do the opposite job: they stop your ad appearing on searches you do not want.

What Google Ads match types control

Google Ads match types control how closely a search has to match a keyword before your ad can enter the auction. They do not set how much you pay, and they do not decide where the ad appears. They set how wide the net is. A wide net reaches more people, including more of the wrong ones. A narrow net reaches fewer people and gives you more say over who they are.

The information here comes from Google's own help pages. Matching rules are updated from time to time, so check the current documentation before you rely on a detail.

The three Google Ads match types side by side

A keyword with no punctuation is broad match, which Google describes as the default. Adding symbols narrows it. The example keyword in the table is made up: bookkeeping for freelancers.

The types are nested. Broad match covers what phrase and exact would reach, plus related searches beyond them. That is why a broad keyword needs the closest watching.

Close variants: why exact is not literal

Exact match is exact in meaning, not in spelling. Google's documentation says close variants can include singular and plural forms, acronyms, stem words such as floor and flooring, abbreviations, accents and variants with the same meaning. An exact match keyword can therefore show for a search that is not spelt the way you typed it.

The search terms report shows what happened. Its match type column labels these cases, and Google's example is a misspelt search matching an exact keyword as a close variant. Two things follow. You do not need a separate keyword for the plural and the singular. And you cannot assume exact match keeps out every search that differs from your wording, which matters when you plan negative keywords, because those follow different rules.

A worked example with one keyword

Imagine a bookkeeper who serves freelancers and uses the keyword bookkeeping for freelancers. Google decides each match in the auction, so read the list below as an illustration of intent rather than a promise of what will happen.

• A search with the same words is within reach of all three match types.
• A search such as freelance bookkeeper uses different words for the same need. Exact match may reach it as a close variant, and phrase and broad may as well.
• A longer search such as bookkeeping for freelance designers who have just started is a more specific form of the need. Phrase and broad can reach it, and exact is less likely to.
• A search such as how to do my own tax return is related but may come from someone who wants to do the work themselves. Only broad match would come near it, and the click may be wasted.
• A search such as bookkeeping course for beginners shares the topic but has a different intent. It is a candidate for a negative keyword.

The further down the list, the more you depend on negative keywords and on reading what actually triggered your ads.

Which match type to start with

Google describes two ways to build a keyword list. One is to start with exact match for the most control, then add phrase and broad match for keywords that perform. The other is to start with broad match and add negative keywords, or tighten the match type, when irrelevant searches appear. Google also advises using automated bidding with broad match, because each search differs and the bid should reflect the signals at that moment.

Which suits you depends on your tracking, your time and your offer. Automated bidding needs working conversion tracking to learn from, and a broad keyword needs someone to read the search terms report regularly. A narrow service with a small budget and no tracking is easier to run on exact and phrase. A business with solid tracking and time to maintain the account has more reason to try broad. Google's help page also says that an exact match keyword identical to the search is prioritised over broad and phrase keywords, so adding exact versions of your best terms is not wasted effort.

Match types decide who arrives. What they find on the page decides whether they act, which is the subject of conversion rate optimisation for small business.

How negative keywords help

A negative keyword stops your ad appearing on searches that contain it. It is the main tool for trimming wasted clicks, and it has its own match types.

The most common surprise is that negative keywords do not match close variants. Google's example is that a negative broad match keyword flowers blocks red flowers but can still show your ad for red flower. You have to add the singular, the plural, synonyms and the spellings you expect to see. Positive and negative keywords follow different rules, so do not assume one mirrors the other.

How to build a first negative keyword list

1. Before launch, list the words that suggest someone does not want to buy: jobs, courses, free, do it yourself, definitions and similar. Check each against your own offer, because a word such as free would block a free consultation you actually sell.
2. After launch, open the search terms report often at first and mark searches that are clearly irrelevant.
3. Add the unwanted word as a negative. Choose the narrowest match type that does the job: exact for a single odd search, phrase or broad for a word that is never relevant.
4. Add the plural and singular forms and common alternatives, since negatives do not follow close variants.
5. Check the match type shown before you save, because the default for a new negative can differ depending on where you add it.
6. Keep a note of what you added and why, and review the list whenever your offer changes.

What to check each week

The search terms report lists the searches that triggered your ads. Sort the searches into groups: those that spent money without producing an enquiry, those that produced enquiries, and any that show wording you had not thought of. Move the first group into negatives and the second into exact match, and keep notes on the rest.

Keep the numbers you watch few and steady. The guide to digital marketing KPIs helps you choose them. For an online shop, remember that a click that adds an item and then leaves does not end there: the abandoned cart emails guide covers the follow-up.

Where to find the wording customers actually use

Your own vocabulary is rarely the one your customers use. Comments in surveys, reviews and support emails show the words people reach for, and those words are good keywords to test. The free-text answers in a net promoter score survey are one source.

Take care with your own brand name as a keyword. Someone who searches for you by name is looking at your reputation, including any reviews or complaints that appear next to your ad, so the work described in online reputation management basics affects what those clicks are worth. For help with your wider marketing, see the digital marketing services page from Liftup Technologies.

Common match type mistakes

• Using broad match with manual bids, no conversion tracking and no negative keywords.
• Treating exact match as spelling-exact and creating duplicates for plural and singular forms.
• Adding a long batch of negatives at once without checking that none blocks a search you want.
• Never opening the search terms report.
• Changing match types every few days, which makes it impossible to tell what worked.
• Missing a campaign-level setting. Google has introduced settings that can apply broad matching across a whole campaign, so read the current documentation before you switch one on.

Related guides

• Digital marketing
• Abandoned cart emails what to send
• Conversion rate optimisation for small business basics
• Digital marketing kpis which numbers to track
• Keyword mapping how to assign keywords to pages
• Google ads for small business how it works

Questions and answers

What are keyword match types in Google Ads?

They are settings that control how closely a search must match your keyword before your ad can enter the auction. Google Ads has broad, phrase and exact match. A keyword typed without symbols is broad match, quotation marks make it phrase match and square brackets make it exact match.

What is the difference between broad, phrase and exact match?

Broad match can reach searches related to the keyword, phrase match reaches searches that include its meaning, and exact match reaches searches with the same meaning or intent. Broad has the widest reach and least control, and exact has the narrowest reach and most control.

How do negative keywords help?

They stop your ad showing on searches that contain words you do not want, such as course or free if you sell neither. They have their own broad, phrase and exact types. They do not match close variants, so add singular, plural and alternative spellings yourself.

Does exact match only show for the exact words?

No. Google says exact match can include close variants such as plurals, abbreviations, accents and other forms with the same meaning. Exact match is exact in meaning, not strictly in spelling. The search terms report shows which searches triggered your ad.

Which match type should I start with?

Google suggests either starting with exact match and adding phrase and broad for keywords that perform, or starting with broad and adding negatives. With a small budget and no conversion tracking, exact and phrase are easier to control. Broad suits accounts with working tracking and regular attention.

Can broad match waste money?

It can, if there is no conversion tracking, no negative keywords and nobody reading the search terms report. Google advises using automated bidding with broad match. If you cannot measure conversions yet, start with narrower match types and widen later.

Where do I add negative keywords?

You can add them at campaign or ad group level, or through a shared list or an account-level setting. The menu names change, so check the current documentation. Type the word, choose broad, phrase or exact, and confirm the match type before you save.